Sabbath Walk Becomes Nightmare for Jerusalem Family

A Jewish family returning from synagogue found itself under attack from an Arab gang, with police powerless to help.

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Maayana Miskin, 20/09/11 09:03

Rock-throwing Arabs

Israel news photo: Flash 90

For many families, the walk home from synagogue on Friday evening provides an enjoyable moment of tranquility after a long week. This past Sabbath, one Jerusalem family’s walk became a nightmare, as they were set upon by an Arab gang determined to cause harm.

The mother of the family, Tzipi, recalled the traumatic event in an interview with Arutz Sheva.

“We were coming back from Sabbath evening prayers with our family and a guest – 10 people in all,” she said. “We were getting near our home, at Shaar HaPrachim [Flowers Gate in Jerusalem’s Old City – ed.] when suddenly a group of five young men with their faces covered and concrete blocks in hand burst out from a nearby alley.”

The group had been attacking nearby security guards, but quickly turned its attention to the helpless family. “They started to stone us. We pressed ourselves against the wall. When that didn’t help, we stood under the roof of a shop, and it took the brunt of the rocks,” Tzipi said.

The family managed to escape unhurt, a fact Tzipi described as “miraculous.” However, she said, while there were no physical injuries, the children are suffering emotional stress due to the trauma.

Nearby Border Police officers did not intervene to stop the attack, she added. The officers later explained that intervening would have been likely to get them in trouble. “Soldiers and Border Police can act only if there’s an immediate threat to life,” she explained.

That protocol could end in death, she warned. “[Rock attacks] are attempted murder for all purposes,” she said. “What are they waiting for, for somebody to be killed?”

On Sunday, Border Police announced that they had caught the gang that attacked Tzipi and her family.